News

Friday News, January 18

Plymouth County Sees A Rise In Gun Permits

(Le Mars) -- The number of people seeking permits to carry hand guns in Plymouth County has seen a dramatic increase, especially since the November elections. Plymouth County Sheriff, Mike Van Otterloo says since the election, Plymouth County has issued 227 total permits to carry a hand gun, and the county has issued 84 permits to purchase a hand gun. During the year of 2012, a total of 546 permits to carry a hand gun were issued, along with 170 permits to purchase a hand gun. Back in 2011, the Iowa legislature changed the rules regarding gun ownership and the opportunity to carry a hand gun making it somewhat easier to acquire a permit to purchase and a permit to carry hand guns. Sheriff Van Otterloo says Plymouth County residents have taken advantage of the new rules. Listen to

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Van Otterloo says people give many reasons for wanting to carry a hand gun.

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The Plymouth County sheriff says, in general, he is not worried about the people who have filed to carry a hand gun.

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Van Otterloo offers his opinions about the high number of people seeking gun permits. Listen to

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Gun permits are for either hand guns or rifles, long barreled guns, such as shotguns are excluded.

Iowa Receives Money For Insurance Exchange

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa has received more than $6.8 million in federal money to help build its new health insurance exchange. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the one-year grant Thursday. The level one funding is used to conduct insurance market research and analysis. The state's public health department can use the money to determine what financial resources are needed forindividuals, small businesses, coverage appeals and complaints. Governor Terry Branstad announced last month that Iowa would create a state-federal partnership exchange instead of a state-based exchange. The exchange system is a requirement of thefederal health care law. Health officials say Iowa has now received more than $40 million in federal grants to build its exchange.

Iowa Board of Education Wants To Make It Easier To Recruit Superintendents

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The state Board of Educational Examiners wants more time to discuss a proposal that would let business and military leaders become Iowa school superintendents. A March 14 work session on the proposal was scheduled by the board at Thursday's meeting. Iowa Education Department staffers also were asked to prepare other proposals for creating alternative paths for superintendents. Currently, only licensed educators may become superintendents. Under the proposal, people with five years of recent experience in the "upper cabinet or leadership team of an organization" would be eligible for preliminary administrator licenses. Thatwould let them serve as school superintendents or the directors of Area Education Agencies. They then would be required to spend the next three years completing courses for professional administrator licenses. ---

Dvorsky To March In Inaugural Parade

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Democratic Party says its chairwoman and a Des Moines-based drill group will represent Iowa in Monday's inaugural parade in Washington. Party Chair Sue Dvorsky said Thursday she "couldn't be more excited" to join the parade along with the Isiserettes, a group of high school students that performs marching and drumming routines. The group performed at President Barack Obama's first inaugural event in 2009 and at an Obama campaign stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines last May. The group also appeared atObama campaign events dating back to 2007. Dvorsky says she's thrilled to appear with other Iowans who helped launch Obama's career. She says it's been "an incredible journey and the opportunity to march in the parade puts a perfectbow on this whole experience."

Emerald Ash Borer Moving Slowly

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Agriculture officials say there's little movement in northeast Iowa of an invasive insect known for killing ash trees. The Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team says final results from surveillance efforts in 2012 show little movement from the emerald ash borer. Two traps last year indicated the metallic green beetleshad moved inland from the Mississippi River. The insect was spotted in 2010 on Henderson Island in the Mississippi River in Allamakee County. The latest data shows the insects are still in Allamakee County but no longer on the island. The county has been under a federal and state quarantine since 2010. It prohibits the movement of such items like firewood, ash nursery stock and ash timber.

Thursday Afternoon News, Jan 17

Home Sales Rise in Iowa and Plymouth County

(Le Mars) -- A recent report shows an increase in the number of homes being sold in Iowa, as well as the average value of homes has increased. The average sale price for a home in 2012 was $134,000 which equates to an 11.6 percent increase over the previous year. Iowa saw 34,860 homes sold in 2012 compared to 31,000 the year before. Shane Sitzmann, a Le Mars realtor and also chairman of the Plymouth County Multiple Listings Association, an organization that comprises of about 40 members of brokers and agents, says similar trends were noted in Plymouth County.

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Sitzmann contributes the lower interest rates as a main factor in the increase of home sales.

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Sitzmann says the increase in local employment opportunities has definitely helped the local housing picture. He says the local housing market acts much like a dominoes.

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The real estate agent says the market is seeing an artificial increase due to the shortage of homes currently available.

Democrats Want To Gage How Much Public Support For Education

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic lawmakers say they want to determine a general level of state support for schools before they take up Gov. Terry Branstad's education reform plan. That could lead to a confrontation with the governor because Branstad maintains he won't discuss that funding until he gets approval for his plan to boost starting teacher salaries and makeother reforms. On Thursday, Senate Democrats proposed a measure that would increase state aid to school district by 4 percent, or $134 million, for the school year starting in September.

Midwest Bankers Survey Suggests Continued Growth

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A new survey of rural bankers suggests that growth in farmland prices, cash rents and farm equipment sales remain strong despite the continuing threat of drought in someMidwestern and northern Plains states. A report on the Rural Mainstreet Index released Thursday says the index hit 55.6 in January, down from 60.6 in December. It is the index's fourth straight month above growth neutral. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the region's rural economy is still expanding at a moderate pace and that farm communities "appear to have shed the negative impacts of the 2012drought." The index ranges from 0 to 100, with 50 representing growth neutral. It's based on a survey of rural bankers in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, NorthDakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.